Essence
by nightowlofdoom
Summary: A songfic I wrote to Evanescence's "Hello". Not quite what you'll expect, I think.


_**Playground school bell rings **__**again.**_

Eleven-year-old Danny Fenton plays on the jungle gym, laughing and joking with his best friend Tucker Foley. They hear the bell signaling the end of recess, but they don't care; both of them hide in the tube slide as the rest of the kids file inside.

_**Rain clouds come to play again**_

Once the children are all inside, it begins to rain. Danny and Tucker climb up the slide before running to the swings. They don't notice the small mass laying on the ground until it's right in front of them. It's a young girl.

_**Has no one told you she's not breathing? **_

Danny stops and looks at her while Tucker rushes to the swings. Danny stares at her, realizing who she is; the creepy girl in his class who always wears black and never talks to anyone. He moves over to her and asks, "Are you okay? Why are you laying on the ground in the rain?" She doesn't move. Tucker notices his friend isn't with him and runs to Danny's side. Tucker rolls the girl over and notices the blood. He screams.

_**Hello, I am your mind giving you someone to talk to. Hello.**_

Danny doesn't notice the teacher running outside to them; he only sees the blood covering his classmates' face. Her eyes are open, and they look scared. He doesn't feel his teacher's gentle hand on his shoulder, turning him away.

_What's going on?  
><em>-She's dead, Danny.  
><em>She can't be dead; she was in my class.<em>  
>-She's very dead. You saw her, saw the blood.<em><br>I don't believe you._

_**If I smile and don't believe, soon I know I'll wake from this dream.**_

__Danny and Tucker somehow made it inside the principal's office. The principal wasn't in there, leaving the boys to themselves. Tucker was shaking. "Danny, I'm scared." Danny looks at his friend and smiles. "Why? Nothing's wrong Tucker. This isn't real, you know. It's just a weird dream." Tucker stares at his best friend, his mouth agape. "Danny, Sam is dead. We found her. You found her. You saw the blood." Danny shakes his head at his friend, a small smile lingering. "Nope."

_**Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken; Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide. Don't cry.**_

__Danny tells the principal what he told Tucker. "It's just a bad dream, I know it is. I'll wake up soon." The principal makes a concerned call to Maddie Fenton who, shortly afterward, picks up her son from school. "Your principal told me what happened to Sam; I'm sorry about your friend." She looks at Danny, who is playing a hand-held video game she brought for him. He looks up at her. "Why doesn't anyone believe me? I know this is a dream. I know it is. Stop telling me it's real. Lying's bad, you know." Maddie bites back the tears as Danny returns to his game. She is fearing for the sanity of her precious boy. _There's only one thing I can do now,_ she thinks. _I have to find Sam's ghost in the Ghost Zone._

_**Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping.**_

__Maddie returns from the basement, a little shaken but otherwise fine. She calls for Danny, and he appears from his bedroom. "Sweety," she says, "There's someone in the basement I want you to meet. Come on," Maddie leads Danny downstairs. "Close your eyes," she tells him when they reach the bottom of the stairs. Maddie leads him to the front of the Ghost Portal, and says, "Come on out, Sam." A small ghost appears, and Danny opens his eyes. They widen as he recognizes the figure. He doesn't move.

_**Hello, I'm still here, all that's left of yesterday.**_

__"Hello, Danny." She says shyly. She looks the same, except for the stains on her green flesh and the strange cavity in her belly. Maddie watches her son, trying to guess what he's thinking. Finally, he speaks. "S-Sam? What happened to you? Why are you all…green and weird?" Sam looks away, her lip quivering slightly. "I'm dead, Danny. I'm a ghost now. I'll always be a ghost. Your mom said you found me. I'm sorry."

A tear slides down her cheek at the same time as Danny's.

"Me too."

* * *

><p>Danny shoots up from his bed panting, with tears streaking down his face. He wipes them away and tries to catch his breath. When that fails, he huddles with his knees to his chest and sobs "I'm sorry," over and over. No one comes to check on him, no one's there to whisper comforting words. Except Sam.<br>"I'm sorry too, Danny."

-End-

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So watcha think? Good? Bad? Total epic-failure? The best thing since sliced bread?  
>I won't beg. Just curious. :)<p>

-Owl


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